Welcome to 2020! We made it through 2019, and are here in the new year. Did you stay up last night to see the stroke of midnight? I didn’t. I was in bed before 11. It would have been earlier, but we got invited to a friend’s for dinner so were there till 10.
I woke up this morning feeling fresh and raring to go with life. I am on day 3 of an unplanned but valuable coffee detox, and it seems that I am reaping the benefits already. After a stretch in bed, I drank some water, brushed my teeth and headed to my yoga mat.
I spent a lot of time focusing on my breath this morning. This is going to be my Yoga focus for the year. I have two goals for my health for 2020. One is to improve my lung health so that asthma becomes a thing of the past for me. And the other is to get my ADHD symptoms under control so that I can finally reach my full potential.
Yoga, and particularly pranayama, is the way to go for both of these goals. There are other things I will be doing as well. More aerobic exercise. Improving my diet. Working on creating habits and rituals that support my life. These will all help. But Yoga is, as always, my salvation. Asana, Pranayama, relaxation and Pratyahara (focusing on the breath). Improving my breath. Training my focus. Increasing physical health. Relaxing well. These will get me where I need to be.
Change your breath, change your life?
There is huge power in the breath. Not only does it keep us alive from minute to minute, but it is intimately connected to our wellbeing. When you breathe well, it feeds your whole body. When you learn to breathe well, everything begins to improve. Sleep, energy levels, concentration, digestion, your skin, stress levels and so much more improve when you breathe better.
When you breathe in, you are filling your lungs with oxygenated air. This is pumped to every single one of the cells in your body. Trillions of them! Every part of your body, every organ, every cell, every system, requires oxygen to function at its best. Taking a deep in breath allows you to take in so much more.
When you breathe out, you are essentially decluttering your body. You are releasing the waste products from the respiration process. In that out breath, you are getting rid of what is no longer needed, and making space for the new and the nourishing.
“With every breath, the old moment is lost; a new moment arrives. We exhale and we let go of the old moment. It is lost to us. In doing so, we let go of the person we used to be. We inhale and breathe in the moment that is becoming. In doing so, we welcome the person we are becoming. We repeat the process. This is meditation. This is renewal. This is life.”
In every moment you can make a decision to change your life. That can begin with something as simple as choosing to become aware of your breath. Make a decision now to breathe deeper, slower and with consciousness.
Your breath is intimately connected to your emotional state. If you can control your breath, you can control your response to the world. If you can do that, you take control of your life!
When I learned to breathe better, my life was transformed. I was able to shed addictions. I learned to manage stress better, sleep well, and be more present in my life. And this year, it will help me grow and improve my life even more.
If you want to make a powerful change in 2020, learning to breathe well could be the start of a whole new life for you. Sign up to the 10 day ‘5 Minute Breath’ challenge now. See what a difference just 5 minutes of focusing on your breath can do for you.
Happy new year, and I hope 2020 is a wonderful year for you!
Recent Comments